Sookie's Sojourn
by isis.mama
Summary: Side-story for Sookie Stackhouse Wannabe told from Sookie's POV. Where she's been and what she's been up to while she's been 'away'.


**Sookie's Sojourn**

InvertedMeridian helped me write this side story. It's an important, transitional addition that will help us move forward.

Summary: Those of you who have read Sookie Stackhouse Wannabe have been asking the question, "Where the fuck is Sookie?" Well, here's your answer…

**SPOV**

Something wasn't right. I felt such pressure in my head…not pain, something in my head was being compressed in a tight space. There was a heaviness to my body that I'd never felt before. My eyes remained closed, hoping the feeling would pass. As I lay there, the constriction finally began to ease like a hard rain had moved on and the sun breaking through storm clouds.

Eventually, I opened my eyes. I thought I must be dreaming because I had no idea where I was. I was no longer in my bed, in my own room.

The first thing I noticed was how darn comfortable I was. It felt like I was wrapped in a warm cocoon. I was in what I could only guess was a feather bed, trying to come to grips with my new surroundings. The sheets and blanket that covered me were a lot like silk, but softer and more luxurious than any silk I'd ever felt.

I bolted out of the bed and tripped over a stepping stool, the bed was that high. _Well, I'm wide awake now! _The room was something straight out of a fairytale. Everything was made of natural materials and fibers. The floors were natural stone, granite maybe? There were fur rugs from animals I couldn't identify. A stone fireplace was built into the wall in the corner. The furniture was a type of wood that I couldn't quite place; some of it looked like braided wooden vines. A large tapestry hung on one wall which had an intricate weaving of wood nymphs and fairies hovering over a brook. A beautiful man and woman lounged gracefully on the bank, in a lovers' embrace. It had to have been machine made, there's no way a person could have woven such detail into the fabric. I could almost hear the water babbling over the rocks and laughter from the nymphs, fairies, and lovers was just out of range.

I shook my head to remove the spell I was under and continued to survey my surroundings. Aside from the realistic tapestry, the only other decoration in the room was the carved headboard. It was constructed of a heavy dark wood and depicted another scene from the world of children's fairytales. It had unicorns, dragons, and…was that a griffon? Again, the craftsmanship was out of this world! It must have taken ages to create.

The room was full of daylight from the large open windows in the opposite wall. One look outside told me I wasn't in Louisiana anymore. I had never seen such trees, plants, and flowers. It all looked so foreign.

_Where the heck am I? How did I get here? Have I been kidnapped? _

The more I thought about my situation, the more terrified I became. _Am I in danger?_

"Hello, Sookie!"

"Aahhh!" I jumped a foot off the floor and screamed like a cheerleader in a horror flick. Standing before me was a statuesque super model. She must have been six feet tall, or close to it. I'd certainly caught her off guard with my reaction. Her eyes were huge and her hands were up, palms out in the universal sign for 'calm down'. I was anything but calm.

"Where the fuck am I and who the fuck are you?" Gran would skin me alive if she heard my language, but I felt the occasion called for it.

"My name is Claudine. We'll get to the other part of your question later. I thought I'd pop in and introduce myself. I've been dying to meet you!" She was all bubbly and excited, which just put me even more on edge.

"I don't want to get to know you! I wanna know just what the hell is going on here!" My whole body was shaking with anger and fear.

"Oh dear, this isn't going so well." I couldn't tell if she was talking to me or to herself. Her brows were furrowed, but it didn't mar her beauty; she just looked cute. Well, beauty queen or not, she was gonna tell me what was happening.

"Let's go talk to Fintan and he'll help me explain everything." She was back to beaming as big as my 'Crazy Sookie' smile.

She whispered some words that I couldn't make out and next thing I know I'm wearing a long gown of the same fabric as the bed linens, except the dress was sewn with golden thread throughout. I started to get a little light headed when she grabbed my hand and the world shifted. I squeezed my eyes shut tight to will away the bile threatening the back of my throat.

When I finally thought I could look without vomiting all over this 'Claudine' character, I opened up my eyes and wished I hadn't.

We were no longer in the cozy, rustic bedroom from 'the Shire'; we were standing in what could only be described as a 'throne room'. _What the hell?_

It resembled something right out of 18th century France. I'd seen pictures in a magazine of the palace at Versailles and this looked very similar. It was a huge room with a wall of windows and 'French' doors. _Imagine that!_ There were long flowing gossamer curtains rustling in the breeze.

On the opposite wall, hung floor to ceiling gold framed mirrors. Damask upholstered settees, chaise lounges, and chairs populated the room throughout. They were accompanied by delicate wooden tables, some gilded. I expected to see King Louis the something-th. I could never keep up with Louis the 16th or Louis the 14th…

The floors were a gold, white, and black marble, as were the columns on either side of the raised dais at the end of the room. On that dais sat a throne, and in that throne sat a man. _A man who had no business being that pretty! _

Sitting in front of him was an antique writing table with golden bejeweled candelabra. The candles weren't lit because the whole place was light and airy. Some sort of parchment paper (maybe papyrus or vellum?) littered the table and he held an honest-to-goodness quill pen in his hand. His long silver-white hair looked like it belonged on an elderly person, but he couldn't be more than 35 or so.

The clothes he had on made him look like Legalos from Lord of the Rings with a white tunic, pale 'breeches', and soft leather boots. I noticed he held a cane across his knees. He wore a thin braided gold band around his head. _I forget what those were called, a circlet maybe?_ Anyway, it made him look like royalty, which I assume he was since he was perched on a throne. He had stopped working to watch Claudine and me, but he kept silent.

I heard a soft 'pop' and a man appeared just to my right.

"My child, we meet at last." He took both my hands in his and brought them to his mouth to kiss.

"I'm not your 'anything'! Don't touch me! Somebody needs to tell what the hell is going on, or so help me…" I jerked my hands away from him; I was livid.

My body felt hot all over, like one of Gran's hot-flashes. My fingers tingled and my palms were almost numb. When I looked down, they were glowing blue light.

"OH MY GOSH!" I can only imagine the face I made when I looked at the man beside me. He couldn't have been much older than me, maybe even the same age. His hair was a shade or two darker than mine and his eyes were almost identical to Jason's. Who were these people and what did they want with me? I attempted to listen in on their thoughts, but their minds were unlike anything I'd ever encountered. It was like water flowing over my mind, somewhat soothing.

"Sookie, please, calm down. You are safe here; we only want to help you. Please just let us explain. My name is Fintan and the gentleman over there is Prince Niall, he rules here. We will not hurt you, I swear it."

_That wasn't helping because…HE HAS POINTY EARS!_

"What are you?!" I felt an energy building up inside me. I was going to explode if something didn't give. There was so much pressure in my chest, I was suffocating!

The silver haired man from the throne popped up in front of me and began speaking in the same language the woman had spoken just moments before. When he laid his hand on top of my head, everything stopped. I was able to breathe again. My body returned to normal and I no longer felt like I was on fire.

The only word I could think of to explain how I felt at that moment was…serene. Everything was going to be okay. There was a logical explanation to why I was here. These people would never hurt me. I was safe.

"Better?" Now that he was closer, I saw that his face had fine lines that told me that he was older than I first thought. It didn't take away from his beauty.

"Yes, what did you do?"

"Just a little acceptance spell. You have much to learn and we cannot waste time with histrionics, my child."

_Well la-tee-da, aren't we just Mr. High and Mighty? _He had a point, though. I do tend to fly off the handle.

"Sorry, I'm just very confused. Will you explain to me what's going on, please?"

Fintan spoke, "Certainly, dear, let's have a seat so that we may get to know one another, shall we?"

The four of us walked over to one of the seating arrangements. There were only two chairs on either side of a small table. Fintan smiled, waved his right hand and, out of thin air, two more chairs appeared.

Once we were all seated, Fintan began, "I am sure you have many concerns; we'll address them one at a time. You may suspect that Niall, Claudine, and I are not like others you know. That is because we are not; we are not human, but Fairies. Niall is my father and Claudine is my niece. And you, my dear Sookie, are my granddaughter."

One would think that at this point I would jump up and run screaming for the hills, but that's not what happened. I calmly sat and listened to everything Fintan, my long-lost grandfather, had to say. He told me about him meeting my Gran, falling in love with her at first sight, having not one, but two children with her.

He explained about me having something called the essential spark and that my brother Jason, while very handsome and 'alluring', did not have it. Because of this spark, I am considered a Fairy, where Jason is simply an appealing human.

"Do all fairies have pointed ears like you, because mine aren't. Are you sure there hasn't been some mistake? I feel human."

Niall leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "You say you feel human, but how would you know? I do not know what it is to feel human any more than a human knows how it feels to be Fairy." _Well, he's got me there._

"I don't feel like anything special or different, except…"

"Ah, yes, your telepathy, perhaps?" He looked a bit smug. "Telepathy is not even a fae trait; it was a gift to you from a daemon. He is a very good friend of Fintan's and wanted to give my son's descendants a way to protect themselves from danger in the human realm."

That's when Niall, my great grandfather, told me we were in a place called Faery. It is where all fae originated: fairies, pixies, brownies, elves, there was more but I kinda zoned out.

"So we've covered the 'who', 'what', and 'where'. Now can we get to the 'why'? I'm glad to meet y'all and it's good to know my heritage, but why am I here? I assume this isn't just a social call."

Claudine, who had been quiet up until then, smiled and said, "Sookie, I'm not only your cousin, but your Fairy Godmother as well. I can sense when you're in trouble and if I'm at all able, I'll come help you. Before you came to us, you were headed toward some very troubled times. Fintan, with Grandfather's help, brought you here so we can help you develop the skills you'll need to survive and be all that you can be." _She sounded like an Army commercial._

"How long will I be here? What about my Gran? I can't just up and leave! I have a job and friends and family! They're gonna be worried sick!" Niall had the gall to roll his eyes at me. _Well, that's not very dignified._ Then he started whispering again and I felt the same wave of peacefulness that I had earlier.

"Child, if you will but give us a moment, we will explain to you why you need not worry for those you have temporarily left behind. Now, shall I continue or do you need time to calm yourself?" Doggone-it, why do I always over react like that? It's like words just spew out of my mouth without consulting my brain at all.

Claudine piped up to add, "Sookie, whether you know it or not, you're family, and family takes care of family. This is where one aspect of your fairy nature will help. If you'll stop worrying for a moment and just feel, you might realize that you feel something of a pull to us, and an innate sense of comfort from being physically close to us. Trust that." It was true; I did feel a sense of belonging here with them.

"I'm sorry, please continue."

"You have a lot to learn. While you are here you will have lessons in Magic, History, Politics, and Combat. Most importantly, you will learn self-control. You have no power over your emotions, whatsoever. I have had to cast two spells on you already, simply to get through this one conversation. How do you ever expect to get ahead in the world, this one or that, if you let your mouth run wild?"

I knew he was right; I always let my temper get the best of me. I was always sorry after the fact, but that didn't always make things better.

"Father, she is just like Adele…so full of life and fire!"

_Ehhh, yeah, don't talk about my Gran like that; she's a sweet little old lady._

"If she does not rein it in, her temper could one day be her end." Niall turned to me, "There is no need for you to worry about your loved ones, I have arranged for someone to be there in your stead during your sojourn here. She is helping to orchestrate certain situations for a more optimal outcome."

"Excuse me? What do you mean someone to orchestrate a more optimal outcome?" I was starting to get pissed again…

"It means to move situations around so that the outcome will be the best it can."

"Oh, my gosh! I know the definition of the words; I may not have done well in school, but I'm not an idiot! WHO is orchestrating WHAT? Give me more information!" I had to take a deep breath. My hands were starting to tingle again.

"What Father means to say is that we have sent someone we can trust and who knows of the dangers you will be facing, to take your place so that you are free to practice and learn all that you need to in order to keep yourself and those you care about safe."

"In my place, do you mean there's a stranger impersonating me? Is she with my Gran? How do you know she won't hurt her?"

"Janie is completely trustworthy; she only wants what's best for you…and Adele."

And so, for the next ninety days, I worked hard to learn every spell, every weapon, and every bit of information they threw at me. It was grueling at times, but there were also days when we did nothing but spend time together and got to know each other.

Claudine turned out to be really fun and a good friend. Fintan was very different from Grampa Stackhouse, but I could tell he loved Gran, even after all these years. Niall was standoffish at first, but he warmed up to me after I'd learned some self-control, which was the hardest lesson of all.

I met a few new people, too. Preston was the head of the Royal Guard and my weapons instructor. He was flirtatious, but still an excellent teacher. I met another cousin, Claude, Claudine's brother. He was just as beautiful as the other Fairies, but it was only skin deep. He was infatuated…with himself. They had another sister, Claudette, but she stayed in the human realm.

There were more instructors as well as servants, but they kept their distance. I guess they were intimidated since I was technically Fae royalty.

I learned, during my time in Faery, that most things I considered 'make-believe' had at least some basis in reality. I studied witches, warlocks, vampires, werewolves (as well as other were's), shifters, and other creatures. If the world knew what I know now, there would be pandemonium in the streets.

I also found out that the more time I spent in the land of the Fae, the stronger my essential spark became. Over the three months I was there, my ears began to resemble the rest of the Fairies. I gained many powers during this time. The heat I'd felt in my hands when I was angry was actually energy building up which I could then shoot toward my enemy. I could both stun and disable my opponent, or, if I put enough oomph behind it, I could kill.

My telepathy became second nature. It was like a switch that I could turn off and on at will. No more accidental eavesdropping. Those whose minds had once been red and snarly (found out they were shifters and were's), were now clear as a bell.

I had a real knack for spells and incantations. I could often make them up off the cuff. It was like free-form rapping…okay, not really, but it was fun to rhyme.

I learned to teleport, or 'pop'. Another very important skill I learned was masking my scent. Since the longer I was there, the more fae I became, it was very important to be able to change the way I smelled so vampires wouldn't want to drain me dry. That's another thing I learned. Only the oldest vampires can withstand the scent of Fairy. We're like crack to them…Vamp Crack.

Along with the masking came the ability to change my appearance. This was a defense mechanism so that humans would see me as one of them, unless I wanted them to see my true nature, which could be a little overwhelming, Fairies have a slight glow to them from their spark. Supes, however, saw the real me, pointy ears and all.

That brings me to something else I learned. When I slept at night, I would dream of Janie and everything she'd been doing for me while I'd been away. I didn't agree with all of her decisions, but there was nothing that I couldn't live with. Although I would never be caught dead in the stuff she wears to work at Fangtasia. That'll be the first thing I change when I get back.

I could tell she cares deeply for Godric and I hope there's some way for them to be together once everything's back to normal.

And then there's that huge hunk of man meat, Eric! Sweet Baby Jesus! That vampire is sex on a stick! I know now that I can't hear vampires (my grandfather had me tested), so when I get home…IT IS GAME ON!


End file.
